Foldable, faster, healthier: Apple's autumn line-up at a glance

In just 77 minutes, Apple unveiled a new flagship chip, a foldable iPhone and a completely redesigned health system for the Watch. Here's everything at a glance, including Belgian prices.

Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event was one for the history books. Not just because of the announcements themselves, but also because of who delivered them: as has been the norm in recent years, it was a pre-recorded video, and for the first time in years it wasn't Tim Cook on screen but the new CEO, John Ternus. He opened with an outspoken message on privacy ("not even Apple can get to what's yours") and positioned the iPhone as an "intelligent personal hub": the device that brings all your hardware, data and AI models together.

What followed was almost an hour and a half of new hardware. We go through it in the order it was revealed, each time with the Belgian price.

1iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

Unusually, Apple started with the Pro models rather than the entry-level model. The new colours are Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy.

New A20 Pro chip

The A20 Pro is built on a 2-nanometre process and, according to Apple, delivers the longest battery life ever in an iPhone. The 6-core CPU gets two new "super cores" that are up to 20% faster, the 7-core GPU is up to 40% quicker, and a second Neural Engine brings the total to 32 cores, which mainly benefits running AI models locally.

Camera: a variable aperture at last

The biggest leap is in the camera. The new 48MP main camera gets a variable aperture, a first for iPhone, achieved with six laser-cut blades thinner than a human hair. The aperture adjusts automatically to the scene and lets in up to 50% more light in dark conditions. On top of that comes "Pro Controls": manual control of white balance, aperture and shutter speed, plus 4K time-lapse in Dolby Vision HDR.

iPhone 18 Pro prices (Belgium, incl. VAT)

Pre-orders from 12 September at 2pm, available from 18 September.

2AirPods 5

Notably, this year the AirPods came after the iPhone rather than before it. AirPods 5 keep the familiar open-ear fit, but deliver richer sound and 50% more noise cancellation than the previous generation. They offer hands-free access to Siri and a new Live Translation feature.

There are two versions: the standard model, and one with volume control on the stem and longer battery life thanks to a wireless charging case that can also charge an Apple Watch and Qi devices.

Both available from 18 September.

3Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

The Watch got its biggest health update in years. A completely redesigned sensor system now measures heart rate every 5 seconds (60 times more often than before) and heart rate variability every 5 minutes. Based on its own research, Apple claims the most accurate heart rate measurement of any wearable.

• ✓Readiness score: every morning, a score that tells you whether to push on or take it easier, based on activity, vital signs and sleep.
• ✓Health Age: compares your health metrics with scientific norms to arrive at a "health age".
• ✓Longevity tab and lab results: add blood test results manually or from medical records for deeper insight.
• ✓Audio Intelligence: sound recognition for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, a 15-second Live Rewind, and "Siri recap", which automatically creates privacy-friendly summaries of conversations without storing any audio.

The new audio features run on the equally new S11 chip. On the materials side, the aluminium models now get Ceramic Shield (a 60% tougher display), and for the first time there's a ceramic version of the Series 12.

Both available from 18 September.

4iPhone Duo: the foldable iPhone is here

After the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods and Watch came "one more thing": Apple's long-awaited foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. Apple wasted no time taking a swipe at the competition, which in its view manages to "clumsily stick two phones together". Folded, the iPhone Duo is roughly the size of a passport.

The inner display is 50% larger than that of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the outer display offers 90% of the screen area of the regular iPhone 18 Pro. The titanium frame is polished to a mirror finish and, once unfolded, makes this the thinnest iPhone ever. Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and Ceramic Shield on the back are there to keep the whole thing durable, and Touch ID is built into the side button. You can also unlock it with your Apple Watch.

Craig Federighi walked through the software side: apps scale smoothly between the inner and outer displays, you can use two apps at once or open the same app twice, and a new StandBy mode turns the device into an atmospheric bedside clock at night.

Available in Star White and Night Sky. Pre-orders from 16 October at 2pm, available from 23 October.